The 'Ultimate Feeder'?

[sweetiepie9]

Waxworms are a fine treat as long as they're not given every 2nd day as you've said. Your dragon needs a couple of feedings a day of a good protein, not mealworms, they have no nutritional value & their hard shells are hard to digest, so please, regardless of what your pet shop says, don't give him mealworms. They cause impaction that can lead to death, I've seen the result. Silkworms, pheonix worms, hornworms, crickets, a couple of waxworms a week as a treat, that's all. For fruits/veggies look up www.beautifuldragons.com under Nutrition. It's the best list I've ever seen, explains why some things are daily (like squash) and I've been using it to feed all my dragons for 6 years. I have 5 healthy adult males & know alot about dragons, so please listen when we all tell you to not feed mealworms, they're for geckos, not beardies.

I hope you do order from Mulberry Farms, I've heard great things about the quality of their bugs & the fact that the bugs are always alive when they're delivered. They have a great website & I know alot of people who order from them. Hope that works for you!

 

[hoeseG]

what was the total price to get a colony started i found a guy online that is selling his breeding colony for 50 bucks and im going to pick it up and a human heater i think i said it right one without a shutoff what roach chow can i give them

 

[sweetiepie9]

I feed them premium dog food, water crystals & oranges. Because my dragons are brumating, they can now start to grow, by the time they're awake again, I should have a bigger colony. I know a guy in the For Sale area, who sells home made roach chow. I bought a pound of it, he sent me closer to 2 lbs for $6 + shipping. His name is Lance. The stuff is great, my superworms love it & so do the roaches, but I still put dog food in there, too, gives them a better choice. You should check out the feeders area, more info there on all types of bugs.

 

[hoeseG]

thanks will look into that section get some more info one last question whats the ideal size bin they will breed more in

 

[sweetiepie9]

I have mine in a 20 gallon tank, using 4 egg cartons, one on top of the other & the last 2 are filled with babies. My 3 females are breeding like crazy. I have the living room at about 72F & they're in a cabinet that is even warmer, so I haven't put a heating pad under the tank. As long as they're breeding & the babies are growing & they really are, then I'll leave them the way they are.

Most have them in a medium sized Rubbermaid bin, with a section of the top cut out & mesh put in for air circulation. I got them in bins but had so many I gave those away to a couple of friends. If I'd been paying more attention I wouldn't have let Gabriel, my youngest beardie, eat most of the females I had. That won't happen again!

 

[jackiesmama]

i have my roaches in a rubbermade container, i had 7 males and 7 females and about 200 + babies. i just recieved my order of 30 large females from westcoast roaches ( i love that place) now i have 37 females/7 males

 

[jezwolf175]

I'm about to get a starter colony myself. *shudders* not fond of roaches but it's what is best for my dragon. Anyway do you have to separate the babies from the adults? The starter kit comes with 15 females and 2 males and the egg crates and tub. the reason im asking is because I have another order of 500 1/4 size roaches on the way along with the starter colony. *shudders* also do they fly? They are Dubia...*shudders*

 

[jackiesmama]

im not sure about seperating them , i just started my colony about 4 months ago,and i keep mine together at this point. it takes a while for the colony to get established ( months) and no they dont fly.....

 

[jezwolf175]

Ok Thanx a bunch. kinda puts my mind at ease.

 

[jackiesmama]

ya i was not to eager to breed them too, but there good for my babies and once they really get breeding , it will be much cheaper to feed them .

 

[jezwolf175]

yea my manager was kinda iffy about them but when i gave him a well written paper about the species, he let me order them. And i heard they were pretty slow so if I have one escape it shouldnt be too hard to relocate it. Plus it is getting cooler in Cali. so hopefully everything will go well with them

 

[jackiesmama]

ya same here im in sf where its even colder lol

 

[jezwolf175]

oh cool a fellow californian lol i'm hoping to move around the bay anyway thanx for the info! :mrgreen:

 

[jackiesmama]

sure no problem

 

[sweetiepie9]

I've had a colony for a year & I've always left the males, females & babies in the same bin. The adults take very good care of their young, so it's best not to separate them. I'd have a bigger colony if my adult beardies didn't love eating adults dubia so much! And the really good thing about dubia is, not only do they not fly, but they can't climb glass or plastic, so can be left in bowls for your dragons. Also, if they do escape, they don't go far. I found a sub-adult in my couch, don't know what it had been living on, but I know it was in there as a baby. I also had a female escape from one of my dragons, didn't move more then a foot, hid underneath a ramp I have set up in the living room. By the time I found her, she was dead the next day. Wish I'd checked earlier. So they're not like crickets, that will travel & escape from your home. They are great food & easy to keep.